Let Loose
by TheShipWeirdo
Summary: There are times in life when you have no choice then to just… loosen up yourself a bit. And that was exactly what the two learned this time. AU (Gray x Erza) Short Story
1. Chapter I

**A/N:**** I'm not supposed to post this now, but I had this idea in my mind so I couldn't help it. This will be a short story, four to five chapters I think? It depends. They get longer, I promise! Reviews are loved :)**

**Chapter I**

Her delicious scarlet hair stayed up in a ponytail. She adjusted the glasses on her nose to study the piece of paper more clearly. Her eyebrows were furrowed, her lips a thin line. Seriousness was practically screaming from her face. The young teenage boy, however, didn't seem affected. He had already gone through the notice and didn't really care much. He was simply leaning against the doorframe of her bedroom, both hands in his jacket's pockets.

"Gray," she started in a quiet tone, "_what_ is this?"

Gray Fullbuster scratched the back of his head foolishly, giving her a nervous smile. He should've expected this. After all, when it came to Erza Scarlet, she would never agree with anything easily. "It's a… well, um, event."

"I know what it is, I can read. It's like a summer camp, or winter camp if that's what you'd like to call it. What I mean to ask you is, why are you showing me this?"

"Well," he began, "I thought it would be quite fun if we went together, you know. It has different activities for us to do, and I think it's a good way to spend the winter vacation than laying around all day playing video games."

"_I_ don't lay around and play video games on winter vacations, I do stuff which actually helps me in life. How did you even think I would agree to this nonsense?"

"Well, it's not _that_ bad. And the main reason I showed this to you is because you need to live a little."

"What?" the sixteen year old girl was now confused, and slightly offended, by what her best friend had just said.

"Well, you see Erza, you are way too serious for your own good. You should go out, meet new people, have fun. And _this_," he pointed to the note in her hand, "is just perfect to do exactly that."

"But this won't help me later on, will it?"

"It will. You'll have more friends to stand by you in the future."

"Don't need that. I have enough friends, thank you very much."

"Oh yeah? Excluding me, it's only Lucy and Natsu, which makes two. Well, three, if you count Natsu's cat Happy."

The girl gave him skeptical look, for which Gray simply sighed and walked forward, taking a seat beside her on the bed. "Look," he said, "I think this is great, and I really want to go. But I cannot exactly do that without my best friend, can I?"

"Really?" she sounded doubtful.

"Really," he confirmed, giving her a sure look. That simple contact of their eyes proved to Erza how serious he really was, and she cracked a smile.

"I'll talk to mom and dad; try to get their permission."

With those comforting words, the young boy broke into a huge grin. He was about to hug his friend out of happiness when his phone rang, shifting both of their attention to the technological device. Gray took it out, glanced at the caller's ID, and accepted the call.

"Yeah?" he spoke to the person on the other line, while Erza simply watched. "Oh, oh yeah. Sure, I'll be right there."

With that, he hung up and put his phone back in his jean's pocket. "I have to rush. You keep the notice, just in case your parents want to check it."

The boy stood up, giving her a quick smile before starting to leave, stopping midway when she asked, "Was that Juvia?"

He turned around, "Yeah. Yeah, it was."

"Does she _ever_ stop calling?" her tone was one of absolute annoyance.

"Hey," he spoke quietly, but kept his point across, "she's not _that_ bad, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," she spoke, sarcasm clearly dripping out of her words.

"Come on, give it a rest. You two should seriously bond more."

"Oh, please. I would do anything in this world than bond with your girlfriend."

"Erza…"

"Don't you have to go somewhere?" she reminded him, wanting to change the subject. He stood there for a while, just observing her.

"Yeah, you're right," he finally spoke, continuing on his way, but not before shouting some last words. "Call me once you're done talking to them, okay?"

"Okay, will do!" she shouted back, since he was out of sight by now. When she heard the sound of the door opening and slamming shut, she understood he had left. The girl took one last look at the notice, which had 'Winter Wonderland' in the subject. She decided to take one last look at the contents, just to be sure of what it had to offer. The apparent 'camp' was only for a week and, given their winter vacation started about ten days ago, it would take a fair share of her time. However, Gray said that it would be fun, so why not give it a try? The girl dismissed the negative thoughts and kept the paper on her study table. Maybe she _did_ need to loosen up a bit.


	2. Chapter II

**A/N:**** Thank you all for the support! I literally thought I would have to delete this story. And I would've, too, if I wasn't too proud of the cover :P Thanks to this awesome new photo editing site I discovered!**

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**Chapter II**

The girl held up two exactly identical tops in front of her. Erza Scarlet studied them carefully, trying to sort out the difference, but alas she failed. Tops were both middle length, the color red, half-sleeved, and V-necked with polka dot laces. Erza stepped forward for a closer look, but still couldn't understand anything.

"I don't get it," she finally told her friend, who, after hearing her words, stood wide eyed and mouth agape.

"How can you not get it?" Lucy asked, absolutely shocked. Of course that was what she would think. The difference was right in front of her eyes, absolutely clear. Was her friend really this clueless?

"This," she raised the top in her right hand, "is Escada. And this," she raised the top in her left hand, "is Pierre Cardin."

"But… they are exactly the same?"

"Of course not!" she bellowed. "The Escada one is of American Rose, while the Pierre Cardin one is of Electric Crimson."

"That's red."

"They are different _shades_ of red. Don't make it sound so ordinary."

"Ooookay," the girl said, dragging out the 'O' for some time. "Anyway, can you help me with what I just asked?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure, I'll do that. But first you pick between these two. And _please_ don't say they're no different, just pick."

"Fine, I'll take the Escada one then."

With a pleased smile, Lucy Heartfilia put the top she had in her right hand inside her suitca– inside her Ilite Supreme Spinner 21 which was the color Honeysuckle, a shade of pink.

"Which brand is this?"

"American Tourister," she chanted, before going back and keeping the other top in her walk-in closet, searching for more clothing.

"You know that I am not taking this, right?"

"You will only pack what I give you, _in_ what I give you. It's not a request, Erza, it's an order."

"Ordering _me_?"

"In this case, yes. Let's face it: you have no experience when it comes to fashion and social life. You're here with Lucy the guru, you take what she gives you."

"But I won't take _your_ clothes which _you_ bought with _your_ money."

"Stop highlighting the word, I get it. It's a loan, okay? Plus, they're so last season." After scooping through her things a bit more, an item caught the blonde's sight for which her pupils twinkled in admiration. "Oooh! Now _this_ is mandatory."

The girl took out a neutral colored, funnel-necked, double-breasted A-line coat. It had twin pockets on the side and a pleat at the back. It had concealed snap fastenings, as well as buckle fastenings. And, as little Erza knew about fashion, she found the coat quite elegant. Definitely not her style, but elegant.

"Okay so this piece right here you are definitely giving me back. Totally unused, don't worry. We need to get you some new stuff, right? So this is the new season. It's chic, it's cool, it's fascinating, and it's _in_. This one over here is from Mango. I bought it just last week and haven't tried out ever since. Its winter and we need to get you winter clothing which are way better than _that_," she pointed at the girl's grey sweater which was bought from a thrift shop.

Erza herself looked down at it and, compared to Lucy's branded clothes from all around the world, it seemed like trash to her. Lucy folded and put down the new piece of clothing in the bag as well, then turned back to find more things for Erza to take.

"You know," the redhead began, "you don't really have to do this."

"I know, but it's fun. Also, we have to show the people over at Phantom that we from Fairy Academy are classy. It's a competition, darling, where you cannot win without clothes from Lucy the fashionista." The way the young teen said the word 'Phantom' was one of utter disgust, which was how everyone at Fairy Tail Academy felt, and Phantom Lord High School the same just in reverse. The two schools always hated one another, in competition to be the best in everything. Sometimes in actual competition, Phantom won, while in others Fairy Tail did. It was brutal, it really was. Which was why everyone at Fairy Academy were not pleased when Gray Fullbuster, the teenage heartthrob and one all the girls in their school ran after, started dating a girl from Phantom High. Even making it worse, the girl was none other than Juvia Lockser, the best friend of Phantom's quarterback of the football team, Gajeel Redfox. And especially Natsu Dragneel, Fairy Tail's quarterback of the football team, was not happy, since the competition was the worse in sports.

"How about this?" Lucy took out a black colored suede boot with shearling boot leg, concealed wedge, and rubber sole. "It's Prada, has been with me for some time now. Not exactly new, but not old either. I guess you could say somewhere in the middle of not-just-released-but-still-in-style."

"Works for me," Erza smiled, for which Lucy was glad. She put the footwear in the bag too, and took out a few others and advertised them to her friend, while Erza agreed to each and every one of them since she didn't know any better. In the middle of the packing, she send Gray a quick message.

_Mum and dad want to meet you tonight for dinner: they've got clarifications about the camp, but are otherwise cool,_ she typed in and then clicked send, hoping it wouldn't take long for her best friend to respond. The girl preferred perfect grammar even in text, despising text talk because she was that kind of a disciplined person.

"Oh, how can I forget this?" Lucy exclaimed, shifting Erza's attention to her. The girl came to her friend with a black box that read 'Louis Vuitton' and opened. Inside, on top of black colored silk, lay a stunning bracelet in white, yellow, and pink gold along with two diamonds. The gold was interpreted in flowers as well as the chain. "Remember how dad went to London for a business trip and returned yesterday? Well, he got me these couple of great stuff, and this is one of them. I know you're not one to wear jewelry but a bracelet is fine, right? Well, this one is Louis Vuitton, and from the Monogram Idylle collection and Monogram Idylle three gold bracelet."

"Lucy, I… I can't accept this, sorry."

"Relax, it's only two thousand two hundred and fifty euros. No big deal."

"_Only?_ You call that _only_?!" Erza was now bewildered. It wasn't like she was from a poor family, because her family's economy was middle-class. She was just shocked to how oblivious her friend was to how huge the price of this one bracelet was. She knew that Lucy wasn't some spoiled kid, but the girl still didn't know much about what a regular person had to do to buy this piece of jewelry. Someone regular like her, who worked as a cashier in a coffee shop down the street for her part-time job.

"Lucy," the girl spoke in a quiet tone, "these are just too much: all of these. It just means too much to me, and I can never pay you back."

"You can," her friend assured her. "Look, no matter what, I am going to make you work to pay off this help of mine, and it's going to be in a way that includes no money but can help my whole family. It'll be really hard, which is why you get all these. I'll let you know when the time comes, okay?"

"But it's too much."

"My work for you will be too much as well. So much that you'll want to give up. I am not doing any favors on you, because I know you don't like that."

Erza sighed. Her friend was right, and she herself would feel better if she did a really hard work for Lucy in return of all these, because she just hated being dependent on people. "Okay, I guess. But make sure to ask me for it when you need me."

"Don't worry," Lucy smiled, "I will."

With that, the girl put down the jewelry in the bag as well, and other things to get her ready for the camp. They stay chatting about how fun it would be if Lucy went, what kind of a camp it might be, how school sucked and they loved the vacation, if Lucy should give Natsu a new Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirt for their second year anniversary, why Gray was love struck, about everyone's love lives and, at last, about how Erza must, she _must_ discreetly brag about her clothing and accessories. It was in the middle of it all that Erza's phone caused a _ching_ sound signaling she had new mail. She opened it to discover a reply to the previous text she sent to Gray.

_K. C u at 8._

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**SHOUTOUTS**

**bella-romeo: Haha, yes! And super glad you like it so far :)**

**Girl with Life Full of Anime: True that. And thank you :) Hope you like this update!**

**Medelie: There's more jealousy in later chapters ;)**


	3. Chapter III

**A/N:**** I have three exams tomorrow, and here I am, posting a new chapter -.- Anyway! Not too long but not as short. Well, hope you enjoy it!**

**Chapter III**

Erza Scarlet didn't dress up. Usually in occasions like these when people would come over, as much as she hated it, she still would make the effort to look good. But this time she didn't. That was because it was only Gray, her best friend, and there was no need to dress up. _Right,_ she thought, _it's only Gray._

It was then that their doorbell rang and, as soon as she heard it, she made a rush for the door. The girl was in a plain, light blue sweater, with black jeans and sneakers. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she most definitely didn't put make-up (oh God no!). She simply opened the door without seeing who it was since that wasn't necessary. And, as soon as she did, her breath was caught in her throat.

Erza Scarlet knew that her friend, Gray Fullbuster, was a good-looking guy, but she hadn't expected him to be so… breathtaking. The boy was in a plain white shirt (top two buttons left open), a black suit jacket, black pants and shoes. It was safe to say that he looked dashing.

"Wow," the redhead uttered, "you… didn't have to dress up."

The boy simply gave her a lopsided smile, as if her heart wasn't beating fast enough! "Well, I don't know about you, but sometimes it's good to make an effort to… look good."

He went past her, without her even asking him to come in, since they were such good friends. Normally at these times, Erza would scold him, but right now she couldn't find the strength to do so because he had already taken her breath away. And so, the girl quietly closed the door and followed him to their dining area.

"Good evening Mrs. Beckham," the boy greeted Erza's mother, as the woman turned around and smiled. She was wearing a red chiffon shirt, black pencil skirt, and four-inch coated heels. Even though Erza didn't dress to impress, her mother definitely did.

"Ah, Gray!" the woman cooed. "So great to see you here. My, my, you look fantastic!"

"You look gorgeous yourself, ma'am."

"Now there, no need for formalities. Come, sit."

"Sure," the boy said, taking a seat on the right side of the dinner table, while Erza sat beside him. Her mother, Anne Beckham, took a seat on the left side, awaiting her husband. Erza didn't use a family surname, since her parents thought the name 'Scarlet' would suit better. And it did.

"Oh, there you are son!" Erza's father, Thomas Beckham, said while coming down, a smile on his lips.

"Mr. Beckham, so great to see you today."

"Come on boy, just call me Tom. We've known each other for so long now, you're like family!" the man said, taking a seat beside his wife, to which Gray smiled. "Come on now, let's begin."

Erza started by taking a bread from one of the bowls at the table, to which her parents and Gray followed. Soon enough, they were all eating, and Gray sure was enjoying himself.

"Okay, so, Gray," Erza's father said in the middle of the dinner, "this… camp: it's only for a week, right?"

"Yes, it is."

"What does it have to offer?"

"Well, it's got a lot of new activities which help students learn and socialize."

"Oh, Erza definitely needs to socialize," Anne commented.

"Mom!" the girl whispered in a not so quiet tone, enraged.

"What? It's the truth."

"Okay, enough you two," Tom said, acting as the mediator. "Anyway, Gray, where will Erza stay?"

"There are different cabins where at least six people stay. Once we get there, they will make groups gender-wise and assign them to a certain cabin. So Erza stays in one with five other girls."

"That's good. Okay then, when does it start?"

"Well first they have the admissions, you know. They arrange a certain time and date for people to put their names in if they want to come in the camp. I will let Erza know personally when that is, and she can also check the website for updates. It's written in the form."

"Great."

"By the way, Gray," Erza's mother added, "in the form, it says the camp is hosted by Phantom High students, but any other students from other schools can join. Given your school's history with Phantom, I don't suppose this notice was given by your school's administrator. So… how did you know about the camp?"

"Oh, I got it from a friend of mine."

Erza resisted the urge to cough. _Sure,_ she thought to herself, _Juvia Lockser was a 'friend' alright._

xxx

"Arms on hips. No, only the left one. Okay, keep the other one loose. _Loose,_ not firm. Two steps back. Chin up. Okay, now give me a smooth smile. Don't look forced. No no, be more at comfort. Yes, now just a little more. No, slowly, there's no rush. Okay, pause there."

The white haired teenaged boy angled the camera and clicked it. He took some shots of the same position, then went through the pictures from the device.

"Okay guys," Lyon Vastia, the teenage part-time photographer, called out, "I need a check on the lashes, it's just not right."

The normal lights came back on, while the model lost her position as her spot boy came to attach more mascara. The model was, of course, none other than Juvia Lockser, also working part-time.

"Okay, no, wait. I need you to take that one off and put completely new lashes," Lyon ordered, to which the make-up artist came over and started to get into work. Juvia took a seat while her artist started the work of removing her lashes and attaching new ones. She stay still, letting the artist do her work. Currently, they were shooting for the new fall collection of 2014 for the fashion house, Nina Ricci. The girl had Lyon Vastia as her photographer, who was a year older than her but a close friend. Lyon was from Lamia Scale, a national school, but they knew each other when Lyon first came for a photographer's event at their school. They talked and had a good friendship, and later met once more when Juvia took her second modelling offer at Nina Ricci and discovered him to be a photographer there. After that, Juvia came quite a lot, sometimes to shoot and sometimes just to meet her friend. Her best friend, Gajeel Redfox, had told her that Lyon has a crush on her after they met, but the girl simply shrug it off.

"Okay, let me take a look," Lyon said, coming closer to see the work. Even though they were good friends, Lyon was quite serious during work. "Okay, get the mascara."

The make-up artist set off to find the piece Lyon wanted, while the boy sat beside his model.

"So," he began, "I heard you're organizing this winter camp thing at your school. Quite impressive."

"Thanks," she said, "but it's mainly Gajeel's idea."

"I see."

"Mhm."

"So… can I come?"

"Sure! You know, you can even bring your girlfriend, Sherry."

"Oh, that," he said in a quiet tone, "we… are not really together anymore."

"Oh," Juvia straightened up, losing the cheerful mood, "sorry…"

"Don't be, no big deal," he smiled. "If you want me to, however, then I'll try to come. Would you like that?"

The girl looked at him and smiled, giving her answer. "Yeah," she spoke, "I would."

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**SHOUTOUTS**

**Medelie: It will soon enough ;)**

**mdportgas: Yes, I am :)**

**Girl with Life Full of Anime: Yup! And maybe he is :P Glad you liked the chapter!**

**bella-romeo: Thank you :) And haha, yes :P I quite enjoyed writing Lucy in that chapter, it was fun. Well, here's an update!**


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